Water-wheel



(No Model.)

J. H. PIERCE. WATER WHEEL.

No. 474,098. Patented May 3, 1892.

FIGJ;

FIC-3 2- UNTTED STATES PATENT OEEICEe JOSEPH II. PIERCE, OF GLENWOODSPRINGS, COLORADO.

WATER-WH EEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part 0f Letters Patent No. 474,098, dated May 3,1892.

Application filed September 19, 1891. Serial No. 406,270. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH I-I. PIERCE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Glenwood Springs, in the county of Garfield and State ofColorado, have invented a new and useful Water-IVheel, of which thefollowing is a specification. Y

This invention relates to current waterwheels, being designed for use toelevate water; and the invention has for its object to provide vacounterbalanced current-wheel which will not only effectively elevatewater, preferably for irrigating purposes, but will also be soconstructed as to be raised out of the way of the slightestobstructionsuch as logs or other drift-floating down the stream andcoming in contact therewith; and with these and other objects in view,which will be readily apparent, the invention consists in the novelconstruction hereinafter more fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of anirrigating water-wheel and trussed frame constructed in accordance withmy invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig.3 is a transverse section through the wheel. Fig. 4 is a detail inperspective of one of the paddleboxes. I l

Referring to the accompanying drawings, A represents a heavy beamconstructed of suitable material and of suitable dimensions to supportthe weightof the machine and has depending therefrom the eyebolts a, towhich is connected the trussed balanced frame B. The said frame Bcomprises the parallel bars l), provided at one end with the bearing-boX Z9 and trussed by the under trussed bar C, connected at theirangle meeting-points by the angle-castings c, provided with eyes orhooks c', which engage the eyes of the supporting-beam A, which issupported from the bed of the stream by cribs or on suitable piles. Saidbeam, passing between the parallel arms of the frame and the trussedbars, provides a pivotal connection with said frame, that allows thesame to easily swing thereover.

The manner of supporting the frame may be reversed by allowing the wholeweight to be fulcrurned upon the top of said supporting-beam; but theconstruction described is preferably used by me. Journaled in the boxesb', located upon the short arms of the balanced frame, is thecurrent-wheel D, the parallel sides of which are constructed in theusual manner, having the braced radial spokes or arms d, connectedtogether at their outer ends by the connecting-plates d'. Interposedbetween the outer ends of the sides of the wheel are the alternatelyarranged paddles E and the paddle water-boxes F, which under the actionof the current revolves the wheel and elevate the wat-er in a manner tobe described. The said paddleblades are of the ordinary construction;but the intermediate paddle-boxes are constructed with inclosing wallsforming an inelosed water-space, the said boxes being rectangular inshape and of the same depth as the alternate fiat stationarypaddle-blades; but are provided in one side thereof with thelongitudinal inlet-openings f, which may be of any desired width,according to the amount of water to be accommodated by said boxes. Fromthe inner sloping bottoms f and the ends of said boxes and at one sideof the wheel project the discharge-spouts G, which project through thespokes upon one side of the wheel and are set at such an angle that theWater will be retained and held by the boxes-and carried by therevolving wheel until the fiume or box is reached where it is desired todischarge the elevated water and carried to the irrigating-ditches uponthe bank of the stream or for any other purposes that may be desired,the said discharge-Hume not being illustrated in the drawings. Theopposite endsof the fulcrumed frame B support in any suitable mannerthe\ weightboxes H and I respectively, the upper box L; being supporteddirectly upon the ends of said frame and is designed to be filled withrock or other Weight to counterbalance the weight of the wheel, the saidbox I being located slightly in front of and to one side of the upperbox II and is also designed to be lled sufficiently with weightedmaterial, in order that the combined weight of the long lever end of theframe, the Weighted boxes, and the water which is led to the box I willevenly counterbalance the said current-wheel, so that the same will riseupon theL slightest IOO iscription.

contact with obstruction, and will thus be kept from injury, the saidbalancing also providing for always keeping the wheel in its properposition in the water when sufficiently deep, so thatit may alwaysaccurately discharge the elevated water carried thereby, therebynecessarily compensating for rises and falls of the Water.

Located upon the spokes of the wheel on the opposite side thereof tothat from which the discharge-spouts project is a series ofregulating-buckets J, which are radially adjustable upon the side of thewheel to assist automatically to balance the wheel when the water issufficiently deep, and thus compensate for the rising and falling of thesame, said buckets being designed to discharge the Water carried therebywhen the same is of asufticient depth to cause said buckets to dip intothe slanting trough or fiume K, which slants from near'the top of oneside of the wheel to the inner weight-box I, into which the water iscarried, andthus lends additional weight, whereby the wheel Will beelevated and kept in its proper position in the water Without deferenceto the iiuctuations thereof, provided the water remains sufficientlydeep to cause the buckets J to dip, said Weight-box I being furtherprovided with a suitably-located vent t', through which the superfluousWater is discharged, and thus prevents an overbalancing and permits thesame amount of water to always be present in said box to evenly balancethe wheel and keep it the same depth in the water. The said flume ortrough is of any ordinary suitable construction and is held and bracedupon the frame by means of the supporting-braces L or other suitablemeans.

Securing-ropes M may be secured to the weighted end ofthe fulcruinedframe and may be used to hold thewheel at any depth desired in the waterwhen necessitated by a shallow depth of water which will not permit theregulating-buckets to dip, and the said regulating-buckets must be thenso adjusted on said wheel as to compensate for the rising of the Water,so that the same may be kept in its proportionate position in the Water.

The construct-ion and operation of the herein-described currentWater-elevating wheel, used especially for irrigating purposes, is nowther-'ut to be apparent without further de- It `is also to be noted thatthe wheel proper is to be constructed of iron, while the frame-work ofthe motor is preferably constructed of tubular iron to insure strengthand durabilty and also simplicity and ease in assembling the variousparts; but, as stated, any suitable material may be conveniently usedfor constructing the motor.

It is to be noted that when the Water is sufficiently deep thewater-wheel dips sufficiently deep therein to cause the buckets J to dipand carry the Water to the flume K, thence to the vented box I. Undersuch a condition the water-wheel is thus always kept at the same depthin the wat-er, and by means of having the vent or overflowvl located ata suitable point the counter-balancing is made approximately accurate.Now suppose that the stream in which the motor is used is comparativelyshallow at times. In such event, for example, the buckets J are placedthree feet from the outer rim of the wheel, at which point they wouldnot dip water. Now the opposite end of the lever-frame is fastened bymeans of the ropes M, so that the wheel would run, say, Within fourinches of the bottom ofl the stream. If the water should suddenly risemore than three feet, said buckets J would at that point dip and carryWater to the flume, thence to said vented box, which would then becomesufficiently weighted to counterbalance the Wheel and keep it to itsproper depth in three feet or more of Water Without the use of the ropesM or other devices for keeping the Wheel in proper position.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. In a water-elevator, the combination, with suitable bearings, of thecurrent-Wheel journaled in said bearings and provided withalternately-arrangedstationarypaddle-blades and paddle water-boxes, saidboxes having a longitudinal inlet-opening in one face thereof, andangularly-disposed discharge-spouts projecting from one end of saidboxes without one side of said wheel, substantially as set forth.

2. In a water-elevator, the combination, with a supporting sill or beam,of a trussed frame fulcrumed to said beam, a currentwheel journaled atone end of said frame and provided with alternately-arranged stationarypaddle-blades and paddle Water-boxes having a longitudinal inlet-openingin one face thereof, and angularly disposed discharge-spouts projectingfrom one end of said boxes Without one side of said wheel, and

IIO

weighted boxes secured to the opposite end l of said fulcrumed frame andcounterbalancing said wheel, substantially as set forth.

3. In a water-elevator, the combination, with a supporting-beam, of atrussed frame fulcru med to said beam, a current-wheel j ournaled at oneend of said frame and provided with alternately-arranged stationarypaddleblades and paddle water-boxes having inlet a-nd dischargeopenings, a series of regulating-buckets radially adj ustable upon oneside of said wheel, weighted counterbalancingboxes supported upon theother end of said fulcrurned frame, the inner and lower of said boxesbeing provided with an overflow-vent, and a fiume located slanting overand upon said trussed frame and connecting the discharge of saidregulating-buckets with said weight-box having the vent-opening,substantially as set forth.

4. In a water elevator, the combination, with suitable bearings, of thecurrent-Wheel journaled in said bearings and provided withalternately-arrangedstationarypaddle-blades In testimony that claim theforegoing as and paddle Water-boxes, said boxes having a my own I havehereto affixed my signature in Io longitudinal inlet-opening in one facethereof, the presence of two Witnesses.

sloping o1' slanting bottoms, and angularly- 5disposeddisoharge-spoutsprojectingfrom one JOSEPH H' PIERCE' end of saidboxes Without one side of said Vitnesses: Wheel and at the farthest endof said slanting J. G. PEASE,

bottom, substantially as set forth. GEO. EDINGAR.

